York County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

883, Design Standards for Outdoor Lighting, sets the county's numeric limit on light trespass. Subsection (F) caps illumination measured at the property line: no more than one-half footcandle where the adjoining lot line sits next to a single-family dwelling or development, and no more than two-and-one-half footcandles where it borders any other use. The same section requires exterior architectural, display and decorative lighting visible off-site to come from a concealed, cut-off light source with low-level fixtures, bars any fixture design that lets ambient light spread onto adjacent lots, and prohibits lighting that impairs a motorist's vision.

Interior lighting must be designed so the light source or high light levels are not visible from a public right-of-way, commercial fixtures must sit at least five feet from every lot line, and strobe, flashing, blinking, pulsing and revolving lights are banned outright under subsection (H). Entrance lighting for traffic safety is allowed only if approved by the agency that maintains the roadway and it stays within the applicable footcandle limits, or it follows the current AASHTO Roadway Lighting Design Guide. 881 to all new development and to any new light fixture installed on an existing developed property, with a lighting plan, including a photometric plan when necessary, required with permit applications for new construction.